Indian operator IndiGo is to damp lease three additional Boeing 787-9s from Norse Atlantic Airways, which will eventually operate flights from India to Europe.
The three aircraft will be delivered to IndiGo in the second half of the year, and brings the total number of leased 787s to four.
The announcement comes a day after IndiGo disclosed its initial route plans for its first leased 787, which will be deployed on the Bangkok sector from 1 March, subject to regulatory confirmation. The airline states the delivery of the first leased 787-9 remains “on track”.
IndiGo also disclosed the seat configuration for the 787s, adding that it will offer its ‘Stretch’ business-class product on the daily flights. The 787 is configured with 56 ‘Stretch’ seats while the economy cabin will have 282 seats.
Airline chief Pieter Elbers says the additional 787s will “help us make strategic inroads and establish the brand in the European market”, an indication of where the aircraft will likely be deployed on.
IndiGo and Norse say they will “continue to explore opportunities to broaden the cooperation and possibility for contracting more aircraft”.
The 787-9 lease is part of IndiGo’s “internationalisation strategy” ahead of its receiving long-range Airbus A321XLRs next year and A350s in 2027.
